The Secrets of the Stone: A Lottie Lipton Adventure
Detective Inspector Victor Blade of Scotland Yard who was hot on the trail of a local burglar called Bloomsbury Bill Lottie loved to read about DI Blade and couldn’t decide whether to be a detective when she grew up or an archaeologist like her parents Maybe both she thought Lottie climbed out of her special reading nook looking for the source of the bang It looks like I’ve got a mystery of my own to solve she thought Lottie had lived in the British Museum since she was four when her archaeologist parents were killed on a dig in Egypt The museum was a huge building packed with precious 2
artifacts from thousands of years of world history It was dark now The winter sun had set and the museum was closed to the public Lottie left the library and peered down the dark corridor Where had that noise come from Urrgghhh Lottie froze as she heard a low deep moan coming from the South American section She grabbed a nearby pole that they used for opening high windows and tiptoed closer to where the noise was coming from holding the pole like a weapon Just in case she thought Urrrrgggghhhhh 3
There it was again With a deep breath she pushed the door open with her foot and leaped out into the room She raised the pole above her head like a spear ready to strike Lottie Lottie turned on the lights to discover a large man in a linen suit and bow tie lying on the floor Uncle Bert Lottie’s great uncle Professor Bertram West the Curator of Egyptology at the British Museum was lying flat on his back and grimacing The door opened again and Reg the museum’s kindly old caretaker entered 4
He was holding his trusty mop which was about as thin as he was Evening all he said cheerily Ello Professor West What are you doing down there then I fell said Uncle Bert Your dratted floor is too slippery Just polished her tonight with my own special mixture Reg grinned proudly Shines the floorboards up a bit it does Far too much I could’ve been killed The two old men bickered as Lottie played at sliding along Reg’s wonderfully polished floor She had long ago 5
